Read Genesis 47:28-50:26 at Bible Gateway.
The paragraph divisions for vayechiare posted here.
The complete chiastic structure formed by vayechi is posted here.
That Jacob split the birthright and blessing of Abraham into two, to confer part to Ephraim and part to Judah, is discussed here.
The statement of fact which Joseph makes in Gen 50:20, that what the brothers intended for evil, God intended for good, in order to save many lives, is a repeating theme, first mentioned by him in Gen 45:5. I find it something worthy to meditate on, that despite what the faith and prosperity preachers will tell you, God’s plan for your life might not be your absolute comfort in every circumstance. In order to accomplish the saving of many lives, which Joseph sets as the greater goal than his own personal comfort, Joseph needed to go through many years of hardship, to position him in the right place at the right time.
In fact, Jesus did not live for His own personal comfort either, but went through the ultimate hardship without rancor or bitterness toward God, in order to accomplish the saving of many lives. Jesus taught us to take up our cross and follow Him. Being His disciple is not about claiming a new car or a bigger house, but personal sacrifice from the motivation of love, for the saving of as many lives as possible.
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